International Legal Forum "Africa: the legal subtleties of doing business"

For Belarus, especially given the current trends and the need to diversify export supplies and enter the far arc markets, the expansion of trade and economic relations with African countries is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, there are legal subtleties, as the market of the African continent is very heterogeneous – each country has its own law, business culture and business landscape. Foreign economic activity is associated with many risks. For the businesses that are going to work in African countries it is important to know the continent, the legal system, the mechanisms to verify counterparties, product certification procedures, and many other things.

The International Legal Forum of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry "Africa: legal subtleties of doing business" became a platform for discussing topical issues, including legal aspects of contracts, investment risks, insurance nuances and protection of entrepreneurs' rights. It gathered more than 240 participants: representatives of state administration bodies, legislative power, legal, foreign economic and financial services of enterprises, experts – practitioners in working with African countries, including foreign speakers.

The forum was opened by welcoming speeches by Mikhael Miatlikov, Chairman of the BelCCI, Dmitry Mironchik, Head of the Main Department of Asia, Africa and Latin America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Roman Tomkovich, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Belinvestbank (general partner of the forum).

After the welcoming speeches, the forum continued with practice-oriented reports from the speakers who have practical experience in Africa. The agenda included a wide range of topics: typical mistakes of entering the African market, risk minimization algorithms, peculiarities of concluding foreign trade agreements with African counterparties, sales on the African continent, cultural peculiarities and mentality of the population, trade barriers and key goods for export, insurance for the supplies to African countries, advantages of the production localization, features, opportunities and risks of working in special economic zones, public procurement procedures, mechanisms for optimizing foreign trade, distinctive features of "African law", and other factors.

According to the organizers, the purpose of the forum was not only to talk about the opportunities and prospects of the African market, but also to help Belarusian enterprises to understand key legal issues, to present schemes and algorithms of work, specific examples of successful implementation of projects and resolution of disputable situations. Participants from Belarusian companies had a unique opportunity to discuss the risks and opportunities of entering the African market with those who already have practical experience there.